Self Care During the Holidays

How to we practice self care, especially over the holidays? How do we show up for ourselves when you want to show up for everyone else? How do I walk the walk?

Typically, the holidays revolve around my family. This Thanksgiving however, my husband and I decided to spend the holiday alone instead of with our family. We had the choice to drive 12 hours in the snow to Northern Michigan to visit my two daughters and grandchildren or go to sunny Cancun. We decided the latter. We were exhausted, my husband has had unprecedented stress with his business, and we realized we needed time for ourselves and each other.

But this decision didn’t come easily. It felt sacrilegious and selfish. I felt guilty at the idea of missing out on quality time with my quickly growing grandchildren. But one thing I’ve learned is the more we give, the more self care we need. You cannot give from an empty bucket and my bucket was close to empty.
So we chose Cancun.

Each day my daughters sent messages of what I was missing: Zydeco dancing with a live band! Making mini snowmen with my grandson! Hiking, cooking together, holiday music! This was a lot to miss.

But by choosing to miss out on these beautiful family memories, I was able to take the time for myself to recharge. To bask in the sun and do yoga on the beach. To reconnect with my husband, I even did a little Christmas shopping online. Now refreshed, I can truly enjoy the holidays without the stress and migraines I routinely had this time of the year.

By choosing my own self care, I am now ready to fully engage and be present with my family this Christmas and New Year’s. By showing up for myself and honoring my own needs, I can now show up for everyone else.

How are you showing up for yourself this holiday season? What small acts of self care can you give yourself?

For more self care, come see me Wednesday mornings at the Rise Well-Being Center, or stay tuned and plan to join us for our newest Intermittent Fasting Kickstart in January.

Carpe Diem and Happy Holidays!

With Love & Gratitude,

Lisa

About Lisa Jackson, RN, CHC, RYT-500, AFMC

Lisa is an author, functional nutrition, and functional medicine trained health coach, yoga teacher, and retired Registered Nurse with the mission to "Inspire, Educate and Empower" individuals and corporations to achieve optimal health.

Lisa's book, Savvy Secrets: Eat, Think & Thrive is a self-health book offering her Seven Steps to Optimal Health.

When she is not coaching, or speaking, you can find Lisa joyfully sharing Carpe Diem Dance or playing with her two grandchildren. She is the mother of four adult children and believes, "Optimal health should not be a secret."

The Power of Love

Yesterday was my daughter, Margo's 32nd birthday. As I was preparing for my morning yoga classes I ran across this letter from Albert Einstein to his daughter on the power of love. When I first read this I remember feeling somewhat angry and judgmental that Einstein wasn't there for his daughter, as my father was absent for nearly all of my young life.

This morning, I reread his letter in another, more human, light. We all make mistakes. To err is human. This is how we learn our biggest lessons. Margo is now a young Mother. She too will make mistakes, as I did. We can remain angry and bitter or we can choose to forgive ourselves and each other. 

In my case, I need to forgive both of us. I still grieve my father's death, because I never fully forgave him when he was alive. I missed precious time with him. I need to forgive him for my own heart health.

Here's Albert Einstein's letter:

“When I proposed the theory of relativity, very few understood me, and what I will reveal now to transmit to mankind will also collide with the misunderstanding and prejudice in the world.

I ask you to guard the letters as long as necessary, years, decades, until society is advanced enough to accept what I will explain below.

There is an extremely powerful force that, so far, science has not found a formal explanation to. It is a force that includes and governs all others, and is even behind any phenomenon operating in the universe and has not yet been identified by us. This universal force is LOVE.

When scientists looked for a unified theory of the universe they forgot the most powerful unseen force. Love is Light, that enlightens those who give and receive it. Love is gravity, because it makes some people feel attracted to others. Love is power, because it multiplies the best we have, and allows humanity not to be extinguished in their blind selfishness. Love unfolds and reveals. For love we live and die. Love is God and God is Love.

This force explains everything and gives meaning to life. This is the variable that we have ignored for too long, maybe because we are afraid of love because it is the only energy in the universe that man has not learned to drive at will.

To give visibility to love, I made a simple substitution in my most famous equation. If instead of E = mc2, we accept that the energy to heal the world can be obtained through love multiplied by the speed of light squared, we arrive at the conclusion that love is the most powerful force there is, because it has no limits.

After the failure of humanity in the use and control of the other forces of the universe that have turned against us, it is urgent that we nourish ourselves with another kind of energy…

If we want our species to survive, if we are to find meaning in life, if we want to save the world and every sentient being that inhabits it, love is the one and only answer.

Perhaps we are not yet ready to make a bomb of love, a device powerful enough to entirely destroy the hate, selfishness and greed that devastate the planet.

However, each individual carries within them a small but powerful generator of love whose energy is waiting to be released.

When we learn to give and receive this universal energy, dear Lieserl, we will have affirmed that love conquers all, is able to transcend everything and anything, because love is the quintessence of life.

I deeply regret not having been able to express what is in my heart, which has quietly beaten for you all my life. Maybe it’s too late to apologize, but as time is relative, I need to tell you that I love you and thanks to you I have reached the ultimate answer! “.

Your father,

Albert Einstein

One thing I know for sure is the power of love. It wasn't until I gave birth to Margo and her siblings that I fully understood this. I agree with Einstein that it is urgent that we nourish ourselves with this powerful healing energy. What negativity do you need to release in order to be able to receive this love? To receive nourishment? Is there someone you need to forgive in order to do so? Perhaps even yourself for past mistakes? Please remember and know that no one comes into this life without baggage. We can continue to be weighed down by it, or we can choose to let it go. We can carry past generational burdens with us or we can choose to break the chain. 

How do you do this? As with everything, it starts with your willingness and commitment to do so. Begin the conversation with self and others. Make amends with important people in your life. Most of all, start exploring ways to feel and act in self loving ways. There are so many wonderful tools to help you. If you suffer from a disease, know that your body is self healing and self repairing. Do not fall into the "war on ....(cancer, diabetes, etc)" mentality. Instead ask what is the message your loving body is trying to tell you through the dis-ease? What needs to change for you in order to heal? How can you maximize what your unique body needs, minimize toxicity and inflammation, and prioritize self care? 

Wednesday mornings I teach at Rise Wellbeing Center in Reston, whose soul mission is to cultivate wholeness. I feel loved the minute I walk in the door. Six days a week there is a wonderful variety of classes and teachers. Please consider joining us! Here's my new schedule at Rise on Wednesday mornings:

7:30-8:30am: Carpe Diem Dance, a fun combination of movement to music that anyone can do. 

8:45-9:45am: Yin Yang Yoga, a practice for anyone to find flexibility and equilibrium (the calm within chaos) 

10:00-11:00am: Meditation for Beginners. I am a student, this is Rise's gift to me to practice self-care

11:15-11:45am: Street Clothes Stretch. Come on your lunch hour and then have lunch in the beautiful garden space or attend one of the monthly lunch and learns. 

May we all learn to give and receive this universal energy of love. 

Carpe Diem,

Lisa

About Lisa Jackson, RN, CHC, RYT-500, AFMC

Lisa is an author, functional nutrition, and functional medicine trained, health coach, yoga teacher, and retired Registered Nurse with the mission to inspire, educate and empower individuals and corporations to achieve optimal health.

Lisa's book, Savvy Secrets: Eat, Think & Thrive is a self-health book offering her Seven Steps to Optimal Health.

When she is not coaching, or speaking, you can find Lisa joyfully sharing yoga and Carpe Diem Dance or playing with her two grandchildren. She is the mother of four adult children and believes, "Optimal health should not be a secret."

Transformational Tuesday

Fall always feels transformational to me; this Fall especially so. I took the past two weeks to literally go into the woods….by myself. I unwittingly went into my “closed for renovation” mode.

I planned to spend 2 weeks with my daughter and take a Yin Yoga teacher certification in upper Michigan. Family issues prevented me from staying with my daughter, so I made the bold move to ask a friends Father to stay with them. This was a good exercise for me.  I like many, find it easier to give help than to ask for help.

I preceded this with a weekend with a dear friend and fellow nutritionists and was labeled the “one most stressed and challenged”. By the time I drove the 14 hours, and after a brief visit with my son, daughters and grandchildren, I had 4 hours to sleep before class began.

Here’s why I made the journey:

In this beautiful little beach town in upper Michigan lays a remarkable yoga studio. This haven, Yoga4, is owned by a wonderful, creative and talented woman, Christen Landry. Our instructor, Sandra Carden, is a remarkable woman with 50 years of experience, mentoring and mentored with other top teachers around the world.

What was Sandra’s transformational message?

“We are constantly remodeling ourselves, so we might as well be conscious about it.”

Think about everyone you know who sits at a computer all day and has neck and back pain and/or hunched back and shoulders. Think of the athletes who have sculpted muscles but cannot sit on the floor, nor have the flexibility to easily bend over to pick up a fallen object. Our bodies are constantly remodeling from our minute-by-minute choices. It’s up to us whether we are conscious or not in our movements.

Since “sitting is the new smoking,” it is important to get up and move every hour or two. Opposite movements heal.

It’s easy to push ourselves and overdo, especially with a full practice when preparing to leave town. So it was with me. Two and a half to four hours of yoga a day allowed me to unwind. I planned to work the first week but found myself detoxifying with a resultant headache and congestion. The gift of dis-ease is that it forces you to stop. Instead of work, I slept, I meditated, I cried. The fact that it was damp and cold with rain and thunderstorms just added to my mood. In the end, it felt cleansing.

Through yoga, I’ve learned to weather and even honor these low periods. Through acceptance of our imperfections, allows self-discovery and growth that leads to transformation.

Often we fail to recognize how we store our “issues in our tissues”. Yin Yoga is a way to gently unwind and remodel the body from the inside out. It is the opposite of the yang Vinyasa style of yoga. It’s the necessary balance to the type A workaholic or the competitive athlete. It is complementary medicine at it’s best. I plan to teach a combination class in my studio one night a week this fall. Email me if you are interested in joining us, ljackson@carpediemwellness.org 

I also took my own 7-day Intermittent Fasting KickStart program and found it quite natural and an easy plan to do. I also felt great on it. My friend Margo came over yesterday and thought I looked like I had lost weight. I definitely remodeled myself from the inside out.

If you’d like to learn more about our new 7 day Intermittent Fasting Kickstart, join us for a free online webinar this Thursday evening at 5pm. Click HERE to Register for the Webinar  We are partnering with Tasty6 to offer amazing fresh raw juices and more, to support your optimal health. 

Here’s to your personal transformation! Carpe Diem.

Lisa

About Lisa Jackson, RN, CHC, RYT-500, AFMC

Lisa is an author, functional nutrition, and functional medicine trained health coach, yoga teacher, and retired Registered Nurse with the mission to "Inspire, Educate and Empower" individuals and corporations to achieve optimal health.

Lisa's book, Savvy Secrets: Eat, Think & Thrive is a self-health book offering her Seven Steps to Optimal Health.

When she is not coaching, or speaking, you can find Lisa joyfully sharing Carpe Diem Dance or playing with her two grandchildren. She is the mother of four adult children and believes, "Optimal health should not be a secret."

Summertime Transformational Read

I just read a transformational book. It's interesting because several patients had recommended this book to me when I was Executive Director of an Integrative Wellness Program for a cancer clinic. They were surprised that I had not read the book, as it is very much in line with my philosophy and each reported that it was transformational for them. I finally took the time to read it. I love real stories by real people.

This is a story of a woman who had a near death experience (NDE) and shares her lessons from it. I will try my best to share my summary and commentary of Dying to be Me, with you.

Anita Moorjani had been treated for four years with stage 4 lymphoma. Bedridden and dependent on others for basic care, she was admitted to a local hospital in a coma. Doctors were preparing the family for her passing when she found herself outside of her body. She describes the same blissful, forgiving state that others with a NDE report.

What was striking to me about the book is the severity of her medical condition, how her recovery defied conventional medicine, and the resultant power of the mind and the spirit. I've been taught (and believe) that we are more than just our physical body. We have an energetic and breath body, a mental/emotional body, an intuitive body and a spiritual body. We are far greater than each of these individual pieces. Yoga is a tool where you can experience and foster unity of these disparate bodies. Many live primarily in the mental body and are therefore blind to their magnificence and power.

Through her NDE, Anita experiences unconditional love and acceptance and discovers the importance of non-judgment, self love and self-care. These can feel like foreign concepts. Rarely in our society is this modeled and taught.  Instead we are taught to believe "The war on cancer" which becomes a war self. We are taught to believe in "no pain, no gain" and to encourage self-sacrifice. We do not teach self love. What I frequently say is,

"Ask not what is wrong with your body. Ask what's right? What
loving message is your body telling you? Could your migraine be saying to take a break and deep breath, hydrate and nourish yourself, or to pop a pill and power through? The more we ignore our signs and symptoms, the louder and more serious they become."

Anita describes her epiphany on why she believes she developed cancer (in her unique case). She was able to heal by having the courage to be herself. This came from recognizing her magnificence and her power to heal. She heard,

"Now that you know the truth about who you really are, go back and live your life fearlessly." 

I firmly believe that our bodies are self loving and self healing. 

Anita states that fear is the cancer. This was the topic of a video interview with myself and Dr. Debbie Norris of The Mindfulness Center several years ago as we were brainstorming on how to best support cancer prevention and recovery. Dr. Norris is offering a workshop on Mind Body for Cancer for both caregivers as well as those with cancer on July 20th-21st. It is free for those with cancer and well worth attending.

Our current medical system can be disempowering and fear promoting. We depend on external measurements to tell us how we are doing. We are not taught to trust our intuition and inner wisdom. We get stuck in the negative thought of "What's wrong with me" and we somehow feel relieved to get a diagnosis, which is merely a label. Your diagnosis or labels have nothing to do with inner healing.

What is refreshing and liberating about Anita's story is proof of the power to heal from within. Anita's doctors could not explain her spontaneous remission with their diagnostic tools.  I've written before about Dr. Kelly Turner's research and book on Radical Remissions and the nine common factors for healing. Three of the powerful interventions involves: taking control of your health, following your intuition, and deepening your spiritual connection.

Believe in the power to heal from within, no matter whether your issue is insomnia, acne, depression, hormonal issues, cardiovascular or autoimmune disease, diabetes, or cancer. Know that you have the power to heal and that it is your job to love yourself unconditionally. Know that there is unconditional love for you (even if this has not been modeled for you).

Stop the guilt, stop the shame, stop beating yourself up for whatever reason. Forgive yourself and others, ditch the urge to judge, and heal.

This is what Anita writes,

"When we're aware of our own magnificence, we don't feel the need to control others, and we won't allow ourselves to be controlled. When I awoke into my infinite self, I was amazed to understand that my life could be dramatically different just by realizing that I am love, and I always have been. I don't have to do anything to deserve it. Understanding this means that I'm working with life-force energy, whereas performing at being loving is working against it. Realizing that I am love was the most important lesson I learned, allowing me to release all fear, and that's the key that saved my life."  

Logo on My Favorite New T-Shirt 

She further writes,

"I now live my life from joy instead of from fear. Before, without even realizing it, everything I did was to avoid pain or to please other people. I was caught up in doing, pursuing, searching, and achieving; and I was the last person I ever took into consideration. My life was driven by fear--of displeasing others, of failing, of being selfish, and of not being good enough. In my own head, I always fell short.

.....I don't worry anymore about trying to get things right or complying with rules or doctrines. I just follow my heart and know that I can't go wrong when I do so. Ironically, I end up pleasing more people than my old self ever did, just because I'm so much happier and more liberated!" 

...The process of allowing happens by first trusting, and then by always being true to who I am." 

My challenge for you for the next week or two is to really contemplate everything that you do for yourself. Do you look at yourself lovingly in the mirror? Is your self talk full of loving affirmations, or judgment and criticism? If the latter, can you delete the need to beat yourself up?

What do you admire about yourself? Are you making loving choices on what you are putting into your body? Or are you afraid of social isolation if you refuse alcohol or eat differently from the SAD standard American diet? Do you allow yourself time to rest, repair or to just be?

Even if you are not in your ideal body, what do you love about yourself?

Sit with that and work on making small incremental steps to change that which you do not love. Our dis-ease can be a loving messenger. Focus on how you want to feel first, then take loving action so you can be the best for self and others.

Last, Anita writes,

"We're all co-creating this world and our lives within it through our emotions, thoughts and actions."

Now THAT's empowering!

Carpe Diem,

With Love,

Lisa

About Lisa Jackson, RN, CHC, RYT-500, AFMC

Lisa is an author, functional nutrition and functional medicine trained health coach, yoga teacher, and retired Registered Nurse with the mission to "Inspire, Educate and Empower" individuals and corporations to achieve optimal health.

Lisa's book, Savvy Secrets: Eat, Think & Thrive is a self-health book offering her Seven Steps to Optimal Health.

When she is not coaching, or speaking, you can find Lisa joyfully sharing Carpe Diem Dance or playing with her two grandchildren. She is the mother of four adult children and believes, "Optimal health should not be a secret."

What's Eating or Feeding Your Gut? Information is power.

When I was working in sales and business development, I often said,  “It’s what you don’t know that will kill you" (meaning the deal). This is really true. What we don’t know can and may actually kill you.

I have clients who want health coaching for all different reasons. They want to get unstuck or have a chronic illness and have gone to so many doctors without relief and ask, “What’s wrong with me.”

If you want different answer then you need to ask a different question! 

Instead, I ask, “What’s right with you? What is your loving and self healing and self repairing body trying to tell you?”  Symptoms should be recognized and analyzed, not masked or hidden. Masking symptoms does not solve the problem. It’s also not productive or helpful to feel shame or guilt. It’s merely your body’s way of communicating with you. Like a baby. When a baby cries it needs something, food, diaper change, to be soothed or comforted. It’s up to Mom to figure it out. But we don’t do this for the beautiful baby inside our body. We just tell the baby to stop crying and put a muffle on the baby inside. We mask the voice with aspirin or Motrin that actually has longterm serious side effects.  These OTC medications can damage the gastrointestinal lining affecting your immune system.

Many clients tell me they prophylactically take Motrin or aspirin before playing golf, tennis or a workout because they want to mask pain. I have clients who do this before physical therapy. How are you going to know your limit if you’ve deadened your sensors? How are you going to take right action for your body? How do you know what you need to nourish and support your unique body? How can you build optimal health and strength if you are interfering with the healing process?

This can take courage and compassion. To say, “I need to rest now. I need to rest and repair my muscles.” To acknowledge that you may need to stop powering through another email and simply go to bed. To nourish your body so you can be the best you can be tomorrow. Most of us don’t do this. 

Functional Medicine goes upstream to find the root cause of your dis-ease. To uncover the reason the baby inside is crying. For instance why are you having chronic pain, trouble sleeping or a headache? Are you sleeping well and waking up rested? Do you need magnesium or other electrolytes? Did you sweat too much and need electrolytes?  Is this a tension headache?  Do you have tight tense muscles, or are you stressed over a mental or emotional issue? Did you eat something that you have a food sensitivity to? Do you have gut dysbiosis that is waking you up in the middle of the night? Are you having sugar crashes or low cortisol? Did you have a glass of wine to relax which may be affecting hormones and/or causing bacterial overgrowth in the gut? 

Speaking of wine. Many of us self medicate at night with a glass or two of wine to unwind and calm down. Many women find this may actually interfere with sleep and exasperates menopause, peri-menopause or PMS symptoms.  This week I was collaborating with a physician colleague who shared this article with me. 

http://www.healthy-holistic-living.com/roundups-toxic-chemical-glyphosate-found-100-california-wines-tested.html

California wines were tested and found that 100% tested (including organic) had glyphosate in them. This is roundup. One of the most widely used toxic herbicides today sprayed on fruits and vegetables. Monsanto genetically engineered corn by putting bacteria into the DNA so that it would resist Roundup.  Glyphosate is actually an antibiotic that kills microbes in the gut flora of animals that eat food treated with it. It first causes inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract. 

Why would we want to damage our gut lining by eating foods sprayed with glyphosate? Could this be the culprit to your inflammation and gastrointestinal issues? I remember smelling the fungicide while driving past vineyards in California highways last month. We wonder why there's an epidemic in obesity, gastrointestinal issues,  autoimmune disease and cancers? 

According to the article:

Monsanto’s own research supports the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) determination that glyphosate is a Class 2A “probable human carcinogen” — a determination Monsanto is now trying to get retracted. Other research has shown glyphosate may:

• Stimulate the growth of human breast cancer cells [10] 

• Have endocrine-disrupting effects and affect human reproduction and fetal development [11] 

• Induce oxidative damage and neurotoxicity in the brain [12]

• Modify the balance of sex hormones [13] 

• Cause birth defects [14] 

Glyphosate was also found in German beer tested.  What we don’t know can slowly kill us.

Information is power. 

How to avoid it, limit exposure, and help rid the body of this toxic herbicide?

1. Visit your local farmers market and ask and buy organic. (I personally love the Great Falls Farmers Market on Saturday Mornings.)
2. Eat fermented cruciferous vegetables like Kimchi. Email me if you would like my favorite recipe that is part of my KickStart to Wellness Program.
3. Add diversity in the diet and try kombucha, iced green tea with lemon and herbs, cucumber infused water, or turmeric tea for refreshing beverages.

This holiday weekend, will you relax, rest and celebrate with clean, organic, healthy food that will nourish your mind, body and soul?  Will you share a photo or recipe on your favorite new traditional memorial day food? As you honor those who fought for our lives, and your past loved ones, can you send this same love and attention to you?

Carpe Diem!

Lisa

About Lisa Jackson, RN, CHC, RYT-500, AFMC

Lisa is an author, functional nutrition and functional medicine trained health coach, yoga teacher, and retired Registered Nurse with the mission to "Inspire, Educate and Empower" individuals to heal from within.

Lisa's book, Savvy Secrets: Eat, Think & Thrive is a self-health book offering her Seven Steps to Optimal Health.

When she is not coaching, or speaking, you can find Lisa joyfully sharing Carpe Diem Dance or playing with her two grandchildren. She is the mother of four adult children and believes, "Optimal health should not be a secret."

Grow Hope

I continue to be graced with awe and hope. Last night I was at a women's Goddess Gathering hosted by my good friend Rosalie Grazzini where she shared wisdom from her recent trip to the Himalayan Institute. She shared,

The main sources of motivation are  "Power, Pleasure, and Survival" all constitutes of the mind.  

In order to hear the healing motivations from the heart and soul, we have to quiet the mind and find a tranquil state. "The voice of the Divine, comes to us in a whisper." The tools of yoga and meditation, allow us time and space to hear this inner voice of wisdom.

Most of us spend so much time consumed with seeking personal power, pleasure and survival that we are disconnected from this powerful source of healing energy.

This week I sat down with Deanna Won who shared her journey from being a hospice patient with 1 month to live, to being a vibrant healthy and sought after speaker and health coach. When she was in her deepest moment, she prayed and then listened. She heard, "Ask to see the cytology report".  She didn't even know what a cytology report was. This wisdom, ended up giving her an opportunity to save her life.

Dr. Eben Alexander,  a highly trained neurosurgeon explained his own experience of meeting the Divine when he was in a coma. He explained it as feeling like he was stuck deep in the mud and then seeing and following the light.

This is similar to a baby in the womb, or the seed for this beautiful daffodil, and the lotus flower. All need time to incubate. All of us have the seed within us to become the full expression of ourselves.

This can be the gift of disease. This can be a wake up call and an opportunity to slow down. Like a snow day. A totally unexpectant deep wet blanket reminding us of the power of nature. One of my clients said, "Snow days make me feel like I'm in a safe cocoon."

We have a choice every minute of every day on how we not only spend our time, but how we react to the stressors presented.

Deanna also shared with me how, as a scientist, she looked at her diagnosis with curiosity. Why did she contract ovarian cancer? This is so important for two major reasons. First, it turns fear into curiosity. Fear keeps us stuck in "fight or flight" the sympathetic nervous system which is counterproductive to healing.

Second, it allows you to be the witness (and realize that you are not just your physical body) and to take personal responsibility for your healing. This is empowering! 

How do you get to this point? Here's a three part strategy:

1. Take time everyday for simple movement to music. Breathe and move into any areas of tension felt in the body. Emotions are just energy in motion and easily get stuck in the body. Do you carry the weight of the world on your shoulders? Could this contribute to your headaches or digestive issues? Get in touch with the deep wisdom within your body. Start with your feet and work your way up.
2. After you've removed physical tension, sit quietly and develop a relationship with self. Start with a simple 5 minute meditation focusing on the breath. You may want to download a 20 minute guided meditation.
3. For 3 days, spend 20 minutes writing a narrative journal written in the third person. Describe the beginning of the dis-ease, the middle and the end. This is important for you to write, commit and visualize where you want to go. Otherwise, it's too easy to stay stuck in the mud. As an example, I might write about life for Lisa before hypertension and autoimmune disease, what it's like in the middle of the scariest times where Lisa realizes how close to a stroke or heart attack she was and what that would mean, then committing to and prioritizing self, and how Lisa becomes a stronger, healthier version.

To commit to yourself takes practice and it takes courage. 

Most of all, you must have hope. Hope and belief that you have the innate ability to heal from within.  Daffodils and Springtime is a great reminder of the cycle of life. When we forget that we are one with each other and with nature, we suffer.

Also this week, a dear friend and loved one described the passing of her soulmate, best friend and husband. As painful as it was for her, the ability to sit and be with him through his passing was both "beautiful and magical".  We all suffer, we all have pain. Remember and trust that beyond the pain is a light that is also beautiful and magical. The pain allows us to fully appreciate the love and joy that also surrounds us. 

May you find connection to self and others, nourishment, peace, joy, and love this holiday season. 

With Love,

Lisa

About Lisa Jackson, RN, CHC, RYT-500, AFMC

Lisa is an author, functional nutrition and function medicine trained health coach, yoga teacher, and retired Registered Nurse with the mission to "Inspire, Educate and Empower" individuals to heal from within.

Lisa's book, Savvy Secrets: Eat, Think & Thrive is a self health book offering her Seven Steps to Optimal Health.

When she is not coaching, or speaking, you can find Lisa joyfully sharing Carpe Diem Dance or playing with her two grandchildren. She is the mother of four adult children and believes, "Optimal health should not be a secret."

Love Heals

Last night my beloved husband took me to see "Les Miserables" at National Theatre as my Christmas present. The last line Jean Valjean sings:

"To love another person is to see the face of God." It was magnificent. Needless to say, there were tears. 

Love Heals. Unconditional love, healed Jean Valjean. After working closely with people for the past 38 years, I can confidently say John Lennon is right... "All you need is Love".

Many of us find this love as parents and/or through service to others. But how do we give unconditional love to ourselves? We can spend so much time giving to others that we can struggle with our own self care.

This is especially true for healthcare practitioners and caregivers.

The body is self-healing and self-repairing. It responds to messages given. In order to heal from within, the love needs to come from within. The body is always listening to our self talk and our actions.

Yesterday, I received a card in the mail written to me, by me during my functional medicine retreat this past Fall. I'm going to be vulnerable and share the message that I wrote to myself after a few days on retreat.

My Dearest Lisa,

You are loved just the way you are. Remember to be yourself. Cherish and love yourself so that you can be fully present to love and cherish others. 

When your small scared self tries to control you, just remember this. You are loved, you are safe. There is nothing to fear. Use fear to guide you. Have courage to lean in to your soul's calling. Be the joy you wish to see in others. Give yourself permission, so that you can show and guide loved ones to do the same. For in the end, there is no judgement. There is only love. 

Love, 

Lisa

What letter can you write to yourself as you think of the New Year and the New Life that you would like to create?

With Love & Gratitude,

Lisa

About Lisa Jackson, RN, CHC, RYT-500, FDN-P, AFMC

Lisa is an author, inspirational speaker and coach, with a mission to inspire, educate and empower others to feel and look their best at any age. 

 

Lisa's book, Savvy Secrets: Eat, Think and Thrive outlines her seven step process towards optimal health that is fun and transformational. 

Lisa is part of the New Self Health Movement and the Wellness Inspired Network. When she is not coaching, speaking or writing, you can find her practicing yoga and joyfully sharing Carpe Diem Dance.

The Forced Joy Project

This is something beautiful, created by my daughter, who has had a nightmare of a year, losing her best friend, her lover, and her husband.

This morning, I'm in my 6am yoga class and directed to choose a word to embody for the practice. I came to the mat not feeling well. Fighting a cold, body aching. The first words that popped into my head were peace and joy. Always my words. I want more peace. I want joy.

Feeling less than joyful, I realized what a struggle it can be to feel joy when you are not well. When you feel incongruent. When you feel estranged from your loved ones. When your loved ones are struggling. Or when you are unable to soothe or support them.

How do you find joy in these moments? Do you "fake it till you make it?" How do you find forced joy? Or as my daughter has eloquently portrayed, sometimes you just choose to feel it.  You accept and feel your pain, your angst. You do so, without judgment, resisting the need to beat yourself up. You do so with compassion. You do so, with love.

This morning, I recognize how I hold "my issues in my tissues". How my attempts to meet all of my demands, to be strong and stoic and supportive of family, friends, and all of my clients can sometimes weigh on me. I recognize how important my yoga practice is to me. If not, I hold these emotions in my physical body, particularly in the hips.

So this morning, amidst a challenging workout, I just tried to focus on my breath to stay centered and focused, even though I didn't feel like it.  When we finished our hip opening exercises (where we hold most of our emotional energy). I just let it go and had to weep. A sudden release of tears flowed. Weeping for my daughter, weeping for myself. Letting go of what no longer serves me. Guilt, shame, fear, worry.

Can we find joy among the messiness of our lives? Can we laugh and cry together in challenging times? Isn't that the essence of life? Isn't that what joy is all about?

Do you ever give yourself time and space to fully feel without judgment? To move your body in new ways? To open up stuck patterns in your body? Do you ever take time to open up your mind? If so, you might discover a little pocket of joy.

To learn more about the forced joy project, click here

Carpe Diem,

Lisa

Lisa is a yoga teacher, author, speaker, and a functional medicine coach with a mission to inspire others to feel and look their best at any age.

Lisa's book 

Savvy Secrets: Eat, Think and Thrive outlines her seven-step system towards optimal health that is fun and transformational.

Lisa is part of the New Self Health Movement and the Wellness Inspired Network. When she is not coaching, speaking or writing, you can find her practicing yoga and joyfully sharing Carpe Diem Dance.

Turning Impossible to "I'm Possible"

Self discipline is consistently doing something (you may not always feel like) to get the results you really want. 

What is the result that you really want? Make a mental picture of this in your head. Then begin to act like you've already achieved it. Feel it in your bones. This is how you create a vision.  A vision is so much more powerful than a goal. Goals, like rules are often broken. A vision is something that you feel and enables you to feel contentment in the moment.

You see, we've got it all backwards. We think that if we just do this one thing, or lose weight, or meet our goals, then we will be happy. Feel contentment first, and then you will unlock the ability to manifest your goals.

When you are happy and relaxed, your body can heal and repair itself. Do this first, then know and discover your own ability to heal from within. 

Think of a time you felt something was impossible. Like riding a bike. Remember what you did to prove otherwise. Maybe you started with training wheels. Next, you had someone hold the back of the seat and run alongside you, giving encouragement while you gained speed. Then suddenly, you realized you were riding the bike all on your own, Woo Hoo!  Remember and feel the exhilaration!

Create the vision and then get the right kind of support to turn what appears as Impossible to "I'm Possible".

An accountability buddy or a coach can help you develop the self-discipline muscle. This is why I am offering a Kick-Start to Wellness Program to provide you with a supportive framework. Join us next Thursday for a free webinar to learn more.

Carpe Diem,

Lisa

About Lisa
Lisa is an author, inspirational speaker and a functional medicine coach with a mission to inspire others to feel and look their best at any age.

Lisa's book Savvy Secrets: Eat, Think and Thrive outlines her seven-step process towards optimal health that is fun and transformational.

Lisa is part of the New Self Health Movement and the Wellness Inspired Network. When she is not coaching, speaking or writing, you can find her practicing yoga and joyfully sharing Carpe Diem Dance. 

Why Kick-Start? What's The Difference?

Food is Love.  What's the difference in a Kick-Start to Wellness Program and a cleanse? It depends. The purpose of the Kick-Start is for you to identify what your unique body needs with education and support.

Our goal is to Inspire, Educate and Empower you to find your own optimal health and wellness.

Join us a week from Thursday, September 21st for a FREE Webinar to learn more.

This is a way for you to:

1. Bring in healthy foods that are decadent and delicious, nourishing and nutritious. 
2. Minimize food sensitivities, toxins, and inflammation and 
3. Help you to prioritize self-care.  

Here we will discuss specifics on why and how you can Maximize, Minimize and Prioritize.

This is NOT about dieting or deprivation! Feeling HANGRY (Hungry and angry) is NOT our goal!
See the funny towel my sister gave me below:

Each one of us are unique and different. We can have ten people with the same medical diagnosis and all ten could have different root causes and therefore different nutrient needs, different genetic capabilities to detoxify, and different environmental factors. A Kick-Start helps you discover what your unique body needs starting with what you are eating.

This Thursday, I'm speaking at the Loft @ Lululemon Store in Georgetown for a group of runners training for the Marine Corp Marathon. Click here to for more information and to register.

Territory Foods will be serving dinner while I speak about maximizing nutrition and give a few pointers for increasing breath work and the importance of rest and repair during training.  When preparing for a marathon is NOT the time to do a cleanse!  It is, however the time to Maximize, Minimize and Prioritize YOU so you can be your best!

So how is our Kick-Start to Wellness program different from a cleanse? First of all, this is not a one size fits all program. Included in the program is a health history and symptom questionnaire and a 30 minute consult to determine what your unique body needs are so you can set the goals you wish to accomplish over the next three weeks.

It includes group support, education and motivation. Something all of us, myself included, can benefit from. Just because I know what to do doesn't mean I always do it. I need you to keep me motivated too.

Most of all, this is about self-love and life affirming food, thoughts and actions.

Email me if you would like to join us Thursday, September 21st for our Free "Why Kick-Start?" Webinar to learn more.

With Love & Gratitude,

Lisa

About Lisa
Lisa is an author, inspirational speaker and a functional medicine coach with a mission to inspire others to feel and look their best at any age.

Lisa's book Savvy Secrets: Eat, Think and Thrive outlines her seven-step process towards optimal health that is fun and transformational.

Lisa is part of the New Self Health Movement and the Wellness Inspired Network. When she is not coaching, speaking or writing, you can find her practicing yoga and joyfully sharing Carpe Diem Dance. 

Motivational Mondays: Join me Monday to Celebrate YOU!

Monday is back to school for Fairfax County Public Schools. For busy Mothers, it is often a time to celebrate time to refocus on yourself. I've had a wonderful rejuvenating summer with family and friends and am ready to offer a class in my home studio on Monday mornings.

Please RSVP to join me Monday at 8:30am in my home studio for a sample class and a celebratory green juice. Cost $25.00 InfraRed Sauna and showers available.

We will work on creating more joy and flexibility. The practice of yoga and movement to music provides the union of all of your layers: physical body, breath body, mental/emotional body, intuitive, and spiritual bodies. It helps you move out of your head and into your body to deepen your most important relationship, with you.

It is an excellent way to start off the week and to prioritize the most important person, YOU!

With Love & Gratitude,

Lisa

About Lisa Jackson RN, CHC, RYT-500, FDN-P, AFMC

Lisa is an author, inspirational speaker and a functional medicine coach with a mission to inspire, educate, and empower, clients towards optimal wellbeing.


Lisa's book, Savvy Secrets: Eat, Think and Thrive outlines her seven-step process towards optimal health that is fun and transformational.

Lisa is founder of the Wellness Inspired Network and Carpe Diem Wellness and part of the Functional Forum and Evolution of Medicine, and the New Self Health Movement. When she is not coaching, speaking or writing, you can find her practicing yoga and joyfully sharing Carpe Diem Dance.

Water is Good for You, Right?

Yes! and unfortunately no; not all water is good for you. I was shocked, yet not too surprised, at this article in this week's paper:

14 Pollutants Found In Virginia Drinking Water, Study Shows What's legal isn't necessarily safe. See what Virginians are drinking that could harm their health.

Apparently health guidelines and legal guidelines are two different things...
Chromium (hexavalent), which is linked to cancer, liver damage and damage to reproductive system is one of the 10 contaminants found above health limits.

Remember Erin Brockovich? This is the same chemical from the movie.

My point is not to scare the sh%t out of you. Yes, it's important to point out that we are all exposed to toxins on a daily basis, so we don't stick our heads in the sand. It's important to know if you DO get cancer, that the first thing you must do is look at root causes, heal your gastrointestinal tract, and detoxify yourself.  

Do not waste emotional energy pointing fingers of blame or shame. Instead, get educated and empowered by making small and significant changes.

Per this article, get a water filter, or do what I do which is get bottled water delivered from deep in the Ozarks from Mountain Valley Water.

Know that chemicals in our food and water disrupt the gastrointestinal normal flora and weakens the immune system.  If you have gas, bloating, constipation, diarrhea or digestive issues, ignore the stupid ads on the radio and TV about needing to see your doctor for the latest pharmaceutical bandaid.

Instead, consult with someone who has actually studied nutrition! I know it's a novel idea, but an idea whose time has certainly come.

It is hard for me not to get angry. I get angry every time I consult with someone who has struggled for decades with chronic dis-ease and has five specialists and 10 medications and no one...NO one has given them any constructive advice or support in uncovering the root cause of their dis-ease. As I said in my last post, the root cause is always unique for each individual. This is why the Evolution of Medicine is upon us. Functional diagnostic testing and functional medicine can help you uncover the root cause of your dis-ease.  As I tell my clients, we can guess, or we can test.

In the case of water, I assume all municipal tap water has chlorine and flouride that compete with iodine essential for healthy thyroid function.  At a minimum, get a water filter that can filter these two chemicals.

The Environmental Working Group has several resources to help you with this major public health issue.

1. First EWG's Tapwater Database  to see the water report for your zipcode.
2. Second a report on Lead
3. Third, a Water Filter Guide

I've written blog posts before about the importance of water HERE and the importance of drinking 1/2 your body weight in ounces of clean filtered water. We all deserve clean water, free from carcinogens. I hope this post will ensure that you and your family get it. Yesterday, I met with a frustrated new client saying, "Why me? My diet is healthier than all of my friends." It's what we don't know that can kill us, both in business and in our own health.

My hope is that this educates, inspires, and empowers you on what you can do to ensure the health of yourself and your family.

Have a joyful weekend.

Lisa

About Lisa Jackson RN, CHC, RYT-500, FDN-P, AFMC
Lisa is an author, inspirational speaker and a functional medicine coach with a mission to inspire, educate, and empower, clients towards optimal wellbeing.

She is the former Executive Director of the Integrative Wellness Program for the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders.

Lisa's book, Savvy Secrets: Eat, Think and Thrive outlines her seven-step process towards optimal health that is fun and transformational.

Lisa is founder of the Wellness Inspired Network and Carpe Diem Wellness and part of the Functional Forum and Evolution of Medicine, and the New Self Health Movement. When she is not coaching, speaking or writing, you can find her practicing yoga and joyfully sharing Carpe Diem Dance.